Survival in the NICU

The pediatric unit ended up being closed yesterday when I arrived (praise the Lord)! I have to admit, I was very happy to learn that there were no sick children! What a blessing for them and for me. When I arrived at the hospital, my instructor sent one of my classmates & me to the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) for the shift.

I find myself needing to explain that my fear yesterday was the fear of having to perform skills (such as medication administration via IV or otherwise, injections, tube feeding, etc.) on "fragile little bodies." However, since care in the NICU is so much more specialized, we as students are not allowed to perform skills on these tiny, most of them premature, babies. We are allowed to observe the nurse's job and hold them when they are fussy! Wow, talk about helping with my baby fever. Holding a tiny life in dim lighting in a glider/rocker at 21:00 is such a peaceful feeling. Yes, these babies might have a feeding tube, oxygen, IV, monitors, etc., but they still need love. I was so thankful for the time I was allowed to just sit and look at these precious faces and pray for their future. The nurses were excellent, and most of them have been at this hospital for many, many years! The knowledge and skill they have from experience is amazing.

I am still praying that no children need to be hospitalized today, but I think it's more of a desire to go back to the NICU than it is an overwhelming fear of treating kids. I am so thankful for last night's experience. God is faithful!

The Funny Thing About Kids

Today I will work on the pediatric unit at the local hospital. As much as I love kids, I am really NOT looking forward to this portion of my rotation! As a former babysitter, I am well trained in playing games, coloring & hide-n-seek. As a former substitute preschool teacher, I know how to explain why we shouldn't pick our nose, and why we should wash our hands (especially after said nose-picking) before we eat snack. However, precious little kiddos with IV poles, feeding tubes, and illnesses that keep them in bed sleeping for days instead of running & playing outside, is not my ideal learning experience! I know it is necessary to see & experience every aspect of nursing. I also know that I will say the same prayer walking onto the pediatric unit as I do when I walk into any patient room, "Lord, please allow me to be a light for you, and to help in the healing process of the people I work with today." I am very scared to work with such fragile little bodies, but I ultimately know that my God is bigger than all things, and He knows exactly how to use me. I know that He will give me the wisdom, knowledge, courage & strength to succeed today, because He is indeed the One that called me to become an RN! Like Nate said, "Maybe after your pediatric rotation you'll realize that's where God wants you!" Thanks for your constant encouragement & optimism, honey!

Out-Rotation, The Operating Room, and Week 14

I tend to dread clinical weeks because I don't get much sleep, and I don't feel like I am performing at my very best because of it. However, this week was different due to being on "out-rotation." This means I was able to go different places in the hospital outside of the beloved Med/Surg unit, and I don't have to do research. So, it really means that I got to go to bed early while my friends were up till the wee hours of the morning stressing over paperwork! In out-rotation we all get to experience the operating room (OR) for one day, and then we had a choice of either Physical Therapy (PT) or Radiology. I chose PT because I thought it would be something I would use more as a nurse later down the road. Radiology would have been cool, but PT was just more practical in my mind.

Fellow nursing students told me they were bored in PT in previous weeks, so I began to worry that I'd made the wrong choice, but I had such a different experience than my friends! The physical therapists that I worked with were so eager to teach me what they do, and why they do it. They were all very positive, and encouraging. One of the therapists even thanked me for my help and told me I will be a good nurse... I was happy to see that my instructor was just a few feet away and heard the praise. It made me more confident that day.

The operating room was a totally different experience for me. Since I am just in my first semester, there is not really much hands on stuff I am allowed to do yet. In the OR, this means I can stand in the corner and watch... for 8 long cold hours! The temperature was about 60 degrees, and my back and legs are stiff from standing all day. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I could have scrubbed in and assisted. Of course, that would be completely out of my scope of practice at this point. My instructor even asked if my day was "blah" because that's what my body language was telling her! I said "yes, it was a very blah day!" I did get to see some neat surgeries, and the nurses were great and worked as a perfectly synchronized team. I just know that I am not called to be a surgical nurse.

I only have 4 weeks left in the semester, and I can't believe how fast it went. I have a paper on "medication error" due next week for one class, and then the entire group of nursing students will have a Critical Thinking Seminar Monday & Tuesday. I'm glad that Thursday will be Thanksgiving, because I know I will be thankful for that to all be over! The Critical Thinking Seminar will be interesting because we will be in groups to research patients, and then we will sit on a panel to field questions from our instructors. Basically it's a group project that we'll be individually tested on by oral exam. YIKES!

That's all I have for now. It's only 19:00 and I'm exhausted. I guess that could be since I woke up at 05:00 for my date with the OR?

The Need for Down Time

Last week was insane, and next week will be worse! My brain always feels completely fried when I have 3 tests within 2 days, then 2 days of clinical, and then work! Thankfully my husband had yesterday off for Veteran's Day. We packed a picnic, and headed to the beach! We spent the entire day playing Boggle, eating our picnic, and attempting to fly a kite (there wasn't any wind, but it was still fun to try).

Last May, during orientation, the director of the nursing program advised us to "budget time for fun." I did not take those words lightly. Even if I just stay in my PJs all day and watch TV, my brain is getting a rest. Everyone tells you how much time and work goes into nursing school, but I do not think anyone can truly understand what a toll it takes until they are actually in it! I am so ready for Christmas, and Summer is just around the corner, right?... RIGHT?!

Failure to...

Last week I had the pleasure of bringing my learning to the clinical setting (or hospital if you prefer). I was so excited to work with my patients. As a nursing student, the paperwork is grueling and seemingly never ending! Working in the hospital is terrifying yet comforting because your instructor is constantly watching you. Terrifying because you feel tested, and comforting to know that they won't let you do anything unsafe to your patient or yourself. I had done hours upon sleepless hours of research on all of the medications and diagnoses that pertained to my patient. It was the week of "med passing." Med passing is when we are allowed to pop the little pills out of their containers into a cup and tell the patient what we are giving them. Day 1 went by without a hitch. Day 2 was going great until... My instructor said to me "what can you tell me about what you just did when you gave those medications?" My patient had a couple questions about why she was taking certain pills. I answered her to the best of my ability and I thought that was what my instructor was referring to. Though, as my palms grew sweaty, I realized I had no idea why my instructor was asking me this question as she smiled and said "you forgot to check the name on her armband." I had that wave of fear (the one that sometimes makes you think you'll faint or vomit) wash over me from head to toe, but not for the reason you might think! I knew I had done my "3 checks" on the medication, and that I had also reviewed my "6 rights." Right drug, right dose, right route, right time, and I knew I'd do the right documentation, then it hit me "uh-oh" I forgot right patient when I walked in the room. Having been in the room earlier that morning, it totally skipped my mind to make sure she was the same lady I'd seen less than ten minutes ago! As I said before, our instructors are there to make sure we don't actually give the wrong medication to the wrong patient, but I ended up having to write a paper on why it's so important anyway. I am completely aware that administering the wrong medication can result in allergic reaction, or even go as far as to cause death, and I will not forget to check armbands again. What a bummer though, I was doing so good!!! I'm thankful for my instructor's watchfulness, and I will be that much more careful in the future! No more "failure to identify patient prior to medication administration."

I Guess the Beginning is a Good Place?

In November, 2000 I was attending a small Christian college in northern California as a Diversified Liberal Arts major when God woke me from a dead sleep and told me I would be a nurse! As much as I argued that I love working with children and I'm scared to death of needles, I realized there is only so much talking back that you can do with the Creator of the Universe before He inevitably wins. Needless to say, I left the school at the end of the semester, began pre-requisites to become an RN, and overcame my needle phobia.

Fast forward to today... Saturday, November 7th, 2009. I am only a few weeks away from completing my first semester of the nursing program at my local community college. The program is 2 years, but I like to think of it as "four, 4 month installments (A.K.A. 4 semesters)" of intense education. Yes, it has been 9 years since God called me to nursing, and I know that He had me wait 9 years for a reason! I tried running away from His goals, I tried to move things in my time, but all along He has been in control, and I must say that I am grateful.

I started this blog today, because Tuesday was the first time in the last 9 years that I seriously considered quiting. Through the exhaustion and the stress, I wiped tears from my eyes as my husband gently reminded me "it's just another day, and we will get through this!" He told me that I should start writing about my experiences so that I can look back on weeks like this last one, and remember that I survived... it is another day to check off on the countdown of achieving the goals the Lord laid out for me, and the end result that I have grown to love and crave!

So, here I am. I am writing about my experiences, my struggles, and my progress. You might ask why I am blogging instead of keeping a private handwritten journal? Well, I keep one of those too, but I know there are other people either in my position or wanting to be in my position that I might either help or learn from! This will be my story of going from SN to RN in 16 months!

Let the Nursing Begin!

As I drove onto campus yesterday morning at 7:45am, I noticed for the first time in a long time... the brightly lit sign that reads "Welcome to Cuesta College." The dancing red letters stood there more inviting than I had ever seen! I got to class in plenty of time, and plopped down in the middle toward the front. I sat and waited, and prayed, for my name to be called, I was in disbelief. Have I really made it? Is this really happening? Am I REALLY going to be a nurse as of May 20, 2011??? The instructor strolled through the "M"s and the "S"s, and finally made it to "W." "Bethany?" she said! My voice squeaked out "right here!" I'm sure my face was as bright as the flourescent lights above my head. I felt like my whole bodywas smiling! Yes, I was on the attendance sheet, and yes, I will be a nurse.

If you have seen the movie Julie & Julia you might remember when Julie said something to the effect of not wanting to post her blog just to prove that she can't follow through on things, I know that feeling all too well! This, however, is very different! School (as much as I've always disliked it) has always been something I can accomplish. Just like Julie, I will finish the race against time & odds.

I also began Beth Moore's Stepping UpBible Study with a group of women in my church last night, and I am so thrilled that we are learning about "pilgrimage." The study is reinforcing in my mind that God's timing is HIS timing, and He is not afraid of reminding us of it! As Beth Moore said "you're not good enough to mess God up!"

I am motivated, I am excited, and the Lord is faithful in His promises! He promised that I would be a nurse, and His timing is now. Nursing pilgrimage, here I am!